Ben Goertzel

Ben Goertzel is an American computer scientist and artificial-intelligence researcher. He was born on December 8, 1966, earned a PhD in mathematics from Temple University in 1990, and helped popularize the term “artificial general intelligence” (AGI). He is the founder and CEO of SingularityNET, a blockchain-based AI project, and a leading developer of the OpenCog framework; he previously served as chief scientist of Hanson Robotics, the Hong Kong-based company that created the Sophia robot.

Goertzel’s documented appearance in connection with Jeffrey Epstein concerns research funding. Reporting on the released files indicates that between 2010 and 2015, Epstein’s non-profits channeled at least $113,000 to Goertzel’s company, a step that made Goertzel eligible to secure over $1 million in grants from the Hong Kong government, and that the two corresponded between 2011 and at least through 2018. The South China Morning Post, in a February 16, 2026 investigation by Connor Mycroft, reported that Epstein provided at least US$113,000 to Goertzel’s open-source AI work over at least five years from 2010 to 2015 and that Goertzel went on to secure at least HK$8.9 million in Hong Kong government grants at a city university. The Anadolu Agency, in a February 16, 2026 report by Berk Kutay Gokmen, reported that the funding was channeled through Humanity+, a US non-profit, and then transferred to Novamente, a company owned by Goertzel; that Epstein’s support began in 2001 with a research fellowship; and that the funding was suspended in 2015 amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein.

In response, according to the Anadolu Agency report, Goertzel said: “Looking back, I regret knowing the guy, or taking his money, or having anything to do with the guy,” adding that “getting research money is hard” and that “it’s hard to say no” when facing funding shortages. The South China Morning Post stated that “there is no evidence that connects Goertzel with the illegal acts committed by Epstein.”

Is Ben Goertzel in the Epstein files?

Yes. Ben Goertzel is named in connection with the Epstein files over research funding — at least US$113,000 that Epstein’s US non-profit Humanity+ channeled to his AI work between 2010 and 2015, which according to reporting helped him secure Hong Kong government grants. Goertzel has publicly said he regrets taking Epstein’s money, and the South China Morning Post reported there is no evidence connecting him to Epstein’s crimes. Being named in the files is not evidence of any crime or wrongdoing. See the sources above for the specific, documented context, and the note at the bottom of this page.

Documents

Primary-source records that reference Ben Goertzel. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; the South China Morning Post reported there is no evidence connecting Goertzel to Epstein’s crimes.

• DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release) — The records documenting Epstein’s funding of Goertzel’s AI work are part of the Justice Department’s Epstein Files Transparency Act disclosure (released in early 2026). As reported by the South China Morning Post and Anadolu Agency, the files show Epstein channeled at least US$113,000 through the non-profit Humanity+ to Goertzel’s company between 2010 and 2015, which helped him meet matching-fund requirements for Hong Kong government grants.